A/N: ….I've nothing to say, in the least. You all must know why.
Disclaimer: I do not own Heart no Kuni no Alice.
Alex Hudson belongs to Tailsdoll123.
Lacie Heartfilia belongs to BlackFire22.
Jackie Penski belongs to peekodemeeko12. (Shout out to her, because she helped me write this)
Claire Triton belongs to me.
FOREVER DEDICATED to BlackFire22. May she rest in peace.
XX (? POV) XX
My gorgeous little life-sized male and female marionettes all crowded around me at the table, all babbling about different subjects in hoping to capture my interest, but none did. A female marionette-with eyes-walked forward, her dark carroty hair in curls and brown eyes filled with lust, holding a tray with a glass of wine. She wore a short white dress, boots, and a key-staff strapped to her waist. My magnificent creation.
Echo.
Running a hand through my short locks of blonde hair, I took the glass and nodded at her, causing her to squeal joyously. She complied when I shooed her away, and kept my gaze on the only shelf in the large room. There, on the wooden stand, sat an adorable white rabbit plush doll wearing a gray vest, a black bow tie, black pants, and a red ribbon tied around its right ear. The ribbon a present from her…
A smirk split my face, my eyes crazed with the thought of her. Though my lovely marionettes kept me company, I simply wanted human interaction. The Archangel was fun and all, but I had a feeling The Raven had a thing for her. After all, he kept shamelessly flirting with the stupid nun. I had to keep being on The Raven's good side, or my future plans to overthrow the owner of The Dollhouse won't go unpunished.
I already was pushing it by stealing that doll from her. Hm, and even though it was such a valuable artifact, it belonged to her, and The Raven had a malicious soft spot for her. The small doll, stuck to the shelf by nails, shook lightly, the stuffing spilling out from a large hole in its stomach, from the time when I had gotten bored with it and decided to play.
"Emotion, you don't look so good," I crooned before taking a swig of the bitter alcohol. Emotion, the rabbit doll, looked at me with its red beady eyes flashing in anger. "Would you like me to sew you up and join me for tea? Well…if you behave, that is."
Emotion unsteadily shook his head, "Never will I ever let you sew me up, you wanker! Just you watch…just you wait! Sakubo will come and rescue me! Then! Then…I won't hesitate to ask my brothers and sisters to bring down their barriers and let The Mad Scientist release the only power that can destroy you!"
I stopped, everything growing slow, and my fingers that held the stem of the glass grew numb. I didn't realize that I had dropped it, sending it into pieces on the stone ground. How dare it… how dare it! Standing up from my seat, I glared at Emotion, "You be quiet, you filthy dusty piece of trash! Sakubo will never be able to come for you, for she does not know where you are! As long as you are here, she shall be lost without her precious Emotion. She has four others just like you, but you were her first friend."
Emotion fell silent as I loudly slump into my seat, the pretty marionettes glaring daggers at the doll. It was a frightening thought to think of. Her unlocking that manipulation… A shiver travelled up my spine and I paled. 'Sakubo…'
I could only think of how things turned to this, when we had turned into enemies. We used to be so close, so friendly….
It was my fault.
Turning to Echo, who had her gaze on me the whole time, I motioned for her to come over to me. She complied, hugging me from behind.
"Yes, my lord?" She seductively purred, pressing her chest to my neck. Oh, please. They were hard as wood. I was only interested in real women.
"I heard a rumor, only to be confirmed by you and Archangel, that four Foreigners and four Role Holders have entered The Dollhouse," I sighed and waved my left hand up, a sign for her to let go. "I want you to locate at least one of them and disguise yourself as Sakubo. Make them deem the real Sakubo untrustworthy."
"But, my lord, all I have is a blue wig—"
"It should be fine. After all, none of them should know what the real Sakubo looks like," I chimed, motioning for a male puppet to come with a hand mirror, a shard of The Looking Glass. "Daniel, show me what one of the Foreigners look like."
Daniel nodded, holding out the hand mirror, the glass rippling like waves before showing me an image of a seventeen year old girl carrying a smaller girl. Oh-?
She was beautiful, strong too. With long layered black hair and long red apple bangs reaching her collarbone. She had heterochromia, a left light blue eye and a right light green right eye that contrasted so uniquely. Her clothes was unfeminine, cargo pants with a tool belt crossing her hips like an 'x', a black tank top, and a gray jacket. But that made her all the more beautiful.
The little girl on her back was endearing, cute, charming. Adorable. With chestnut hair in extremely long locks, her eyes were closed and I wasn't able to see her eyes, and her pale skin contrasted adorably against her school uniform. How cute-!
"Echo, I definitely want that woman to be distrustful of Sakubo. Do it."
"…" Echo glared at the woman in the mirror before bowing.
"Yes…my lord."
This is all for Sakubo. Yes. I must remind myself.
All for Sakubo.
XX (Jackie POV) XX
It was hours of ignoring both of Joker's counterparts, with Black spewing curses for me defending the girl and White trailing after me quietly, and even though the little girl was as light as a feather, I was growing tired of carrying her. My arms were numb, and my feet began to hurt, but I pressed on. This girl. She saved me. And in return, I have to help her.
I let out a tired sigh, and I almost let out a gasp when White grabbed the girl, holding her gently in his arms. Before I could retaliate, he placed a finger to my lips, "Now, now; as long as you behave I'll carry the little miss."
"The f*** is this…we should just dump her a** in a ravine," Black snarled as he sent the unconscious girl a hateful glare. I sighed. I knew he would say that. "You know what? I'm just gonna go and throw her away for you!"
Snatching the girl from White's arms, Black ran off, causing my eyes to open to the size of dinner plates. "White! Stop him!" White ran off after his Warden counterpart, disappearing into the trees. I stepped forward, my shoes hitting the brown sugar dirt before thundering off.
He better not be serious about dumping her into a ravine!
XX (? POV) XX
A white room only containing a large bed and a small cart was where I now stood. 'This is terrible', I thought grimly, 'She was getting better…and now…' Crouching down by the bedside, I stared at the Faceless young girl.
Her hair was short in curly blonde locks, and her skin was sickly pale. Dressed in a drafty white nightgown, her chest heaved up and down, seeing that she was having trouble breathing. My brown hues stared at her, troubled.
She was getting better.
She was supposed to be healed.
She was going to be living her life again.
…
Where did it all go wrong.
Reaching out, I softly took her fragile hand, stroking it. It aggravated me that there was nothing else that I could do for her. Squeezing it lightly, I could feel a tear escape my right eye.
Salty and hot.
"Hey…" My head shot up, seeing that the sick girl was finally speaking to me. My eyes widened, squeezing her hand slightly tighter. Her voice was gentle, fragile. Like glass. "It'll be okay… I swear…"
Liar…
"I'll get better before you know it."
Liar..
"Once I do, we can go out into town and buy you a new chain for your locket."
Liar.
"Then…we can visit Gowland and Boris in the Amusement Park. Remember you wanted me to meet them? It'll be fun!"
Liar!
"Or we can bake cakes and sweets together at your home. How does that sound?"
Liar!
I gulped down the lump that formed in my throat, struggling not to reveal any sorrow in my voice, "Y-Yeah, th-th-at w-w-would be nice…" My emotions betray me.
She simply smiles weakly. She knew she was lying to me as well. The girl doesn't have much time left, and she was aware of it. "See…? Everything will turn out fine, in the end." This time, she squeezes my hand. "It'll be okay. Smile. Your smile lights up the room. Smile for me…"
I couldn't smile. Not now. My lips twitches, unable to curve. The girl sighs tiredly, as if she knew I would do that, "You know I can't smile….it is nearly impossible."
"That may be… Oh?" Her labored breathing slightly calms, her muscles relaxing. The sleep inducing pills are taking effect.
I hiccup back more tears, my free hand reaching out to stroke her cheeks. They're wet. Even a Faceless can cry. "Just sleep…okay? Sleep."
She slowly nods, the drowsiness taking over her. "Thank you…I love you, my friend…"
A pang of hurt hits my chest, a knot forming in my stomach. The salty, hot tears fall down my face more, like skinny rivers. Never ending. Never drying up. "Yes… Go to sleep. I love you, and thank you, too." Finally, my lips twitched, curving into a smile.
A smile for her, and only for her.
"See…? Your smile…lights up…the…room…" Her hand relaxes, her breathing turning soft. Then, after a few moments, they stop. Her hand limps in my grasp, and everything around me shattered. Nothing can be heard in the room, just droplets of my tears falling onto the white sheets of the bed.
Why…? Why her? She was a good and honest soul. A breath of fresh air, like arriving in a meadow full of roses. Warmth would fill you if around her. She was serenity herself. She made anyone forget their troubles, even if she was a Faceless.
Replaceable.
A useless trump card.
Shaking my head, causing the tears to sprinkle into the air, I let go of her hand, almost collapsing when it limped down from the bed, hitting the floor. Grabbing the sheets, I moved them over her, knowing that anytime soon she'd shutter away into a clock.
"I did all that I could to give her a painless death…" I muttered as I glanced at the pill bottle on the cart, an empty glass next to it. Sleeping pills. For her to die in her sleep.
A painless death.
Turning back to the bed, I yank the covers off of the now dead body. Sure enough, a clock sits there, taunting me.
"You've done little for her."
"A useless friend."
"An unlucky fellow."
Shaking my head, I pull something from my pocket. A wooden paintbrush. Stepping closer to the bed, the painting brush hovers above it. I can't accept the fact that she was now gone.
It's all Dollmaker's fault.
"I swear…he shall stop his reign of terror. Forever and always. …forever and always shall our friendship live."
My ever so kind friend….
"Henrietta."
XX (Jackie's POV) XX
"Black! White! Where are you? It's dangerous out here—" I called out, walking past the candy trees. My stomach pinched, the sweet smells attracting me. My mouth watered slightly. Yet I feel that I shouldn't trust the treats. They might be inedible. Unsafe…
Sighing, I stopped calling for them. None of them seemed to have heard me, since they didn't call back. I'm beginning to think that Black really did dump her body into a ravine… Or maybe she woke up and ran off, causing Joker to run after her—
"Hi~" A sugary sweet voice piped in, like a child's. I glanced over my shoulders, seeing a girl almost as tall as me, with long blue hair reaching her hips and violet eyes, and she had this eerie grin that almost had a hidden meaning. Where did she come from?
I couldn't hold back my annoyance. "Oh, what now? Who are you?" The girl simply laughed. What she wore was strange. A white dress, drafty, clung to her body, showing off her…sharp curves. She wore grey boots and strapped to her waist was a key-shaped staff. Something out of Kingdom of Hearts (A/N:…do not own).
"Are you loss, sis? You shouldn't be mean to strangers, you know?" She giggled, sweet as honey, but her eyes gave another meaning, differing from the kindness she was 'showing'. Her eyes reflected hatred and jealousy.
Envy.
Shrugging it off, I huffed, "Yes I'm lost. Have you seen a sickly girl running around? Or Joker?" She was practically dripping off of suspicion. I couldn't trust her. I just wanted to find the three of them and find shelter.
"Hihihi~! Aww, well, such an awful predicament you're in, sis. But unfortunately, I've been at Toy Town the whole time," The girl replied, almost annoyed at what I said to her, but continued to smile. My ears perked when she mentioned a town.
"There's a town?! Is there a doctor there?" If we find the town and get a doctor, then maybe that girl can heal. I can only hope…
The girl, a sneer ghosting her face, snickered. "A town, yes, people, no. There are no doctors...other than me." She then danced over to me, smiling too sweetly. "Would you like me to help you out with my knowledge of medicine?"
I felt unnerved as my intuition flashes, I can't trust this girl. "Thanks but I'll take my chances in town." Turning away, I step forward—
"Sis, don't run away. I wanna play with you!"
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the girl pout, her fists clenching into fists. Inwardly rolling my eyes, I sighed, "I'm busy! I'll play with you later!"
She didn't like that answer, but she didn't add on. Instead, she began rambling about something else. Apparently, my hair caught her attention. "I like your hair, sis. Red is such a nice color... But I also like yellow and blue!"
"Yeah, that's great." I grumbled, my annoyance skyrocketing. This girl just wouldn't shut up! Not only just that, but trusting this girl was seriously not on my list. She seemed…fake. "But I really have to go now." I'm worried about Joker. Also, that little girl…
The girl seemed unfazed with my reply, only to continue, "Why won't you play? Why? Why? Play with me! Play! Play, Jackie!"
I sucked in a gasp, my eyes slightly widening. How…how did she know my name? Shaking my head, I turned around, glaring at her, "Look, AFTER I find my friends, alright?" Just at that moment, I heard the bushes rustle, and I turned around, seeing both counterparts of Joker with the girl standing in between them, looking uncomfortable. A smile curved onto my face. Ah, she regained consciousness—
~RUUUUU—UUUUMBLE~
"Whoa what in the heck-?!"
"JACKIE!"
The earth began rumbling, vibrating and shaking, the trees falling around us. The azure-haired girl was smiling the whole time. Falling to my knees from the earthquake, I felt my stomach pinch again. What…what was going on? My eyes widened when the ground split, a deep fissure separating Joker and the little girl away from me. I couldn't be anywhere near them!
"There. Now they won't get in our way. Play with me, Jackie. Play. Play. Play!" The girl sang, dancing around me. Gosh…my patience had finally run out with this girl. I don't know how she caused the earthquake, but she just claimed to have nonchalantly.
My rage was bubbling over and I found myself on my feet, glaring at her, "I will NOT play with you! You are acting like a spoiled little child and I have no time to play a game with a bratty snot nosed people like YOU!" Despite my confusion, I couldn't help my anger towards her. How dare she do this—
The girl glowered at me, envy and anger clouding her eyes, "...ohhh..." In the blink of an eye, she had drawn out her key-staff and with the flick of her wrist; the trees around us were cut clean from the roots, falling around us. Her eyes were clean from envy; just anger infiltrated her violet hues. "Oh, really, lost helpless puppet?" Her voice changed as well, darker. Sinister.
Still, my anger does not cease. Though I was afraid, my livid fury takes over.
The girl notices and chuckles darkly, sending shivers up my spine. Why? "Oh, are you mad? …Another mistake."
"Why you—!"
The girl glared at me, "Shut it! Don't make me kill the one you hold dear. I'll kill Joker and the little miracle girl who pitied your useless a** right in front of you—!"
I found myself whipping forward in an instant, punching her right in the mouth, while ripping the key-staff from her hands. As she fell to the ground and tried pushing herself back up, I quickly stepped on her throat, tossing the key-staff over my shoulder, "Little girls shouldn't play with weapons." I stopped, feeling my foot pressing down on her throat. It…it felt like wood.
I flinched, hearing the girl cough, but she then smiled. Sadistically. "Heh...heheh...haha..." Without any warning, I was being pulled back by a hidden force and found myself on the floor, knives cutting into my clothes to pin me into the ground. I could hear her stalking towards me, and I cursed under my breath. I didn't have a choice, did I…?
~RIIIIIP~
Tearing my clothes right off my body, I managed to yank the knives from the ground, jumping onto my feet, dancing back in nothing but my…'underclothes'. As the attacker looked on with disbelief, I smiled. "Jealous? Just letting you know, hard chest, that you will never have boobs or curves or even a butt as soft as this. You'll always be a wooden washboard." I know she was almost as busty as I was, but her body was hard as wood!
Like a puppet.
The girl twitches and blushes. "Hard chest? Washboard?" She threw her head back, eyes wide open, and screams with the key-staff back in her hands, "I'LL KILL YOU, DAIRY COW!"
As the unnamed attacker rushed at me, I quickly sidestepped her and redirected the swing of her key-staff, nailing her in the mouth with my elbow and hooked my leg around her leg, shoving her to the ground. In one motion, I stomped on her stomach (and again, hard as wood) before dancing away, guilty for hurting a girl. I hate hurting her but if I don't she'll hurt those I love. "Dairy cow's stomps are something fierce you know," I growled.
Yes, I just made a Pokémon reference. I just went there.
The girl rolled over onto her stomach, swiftly hopping back onto her feet, glaring at me. That didn't hurt one bit, Jackie~" She grinned broadly before aiming a punch directly to my stomach. Sucking in a gasp and curling in, I let out a painful cry, yet I grabbed her fist, wrenching her right out of her spot and twisted her arm behind her back unnaturally, pushing her into the ground. I held her there hesitating but decided to go through with it as she was clawing at my legs drawing blood. "I'm really sorry, hard chest." I apologized before wrenching my arm back, feeling her arm jerk with the indisputable dislocation of her arm before I punched her kidney from behind.
She was now on the ground, lifeless, and I found myself heaving a shaking sigh of relief. Hugging myself to protect from the cold of having not much clothes on, I turned away and took a step forward.
"It's no fun taking it easy on you."
I sucked in a gulp of air and turned around, seeing that she was no longer there on the ground. Eyes widening, I turned forward in quickness, but was met by the attacker, carrying her weapon. This girl just doesn't quit!
"I'm tired of playing with you."
I threw a punch towards her, making contact with her wooden face, glaring the heck out of her. I was prepared to give her another beating. She lifelessly picked herself up with a crazy grin of blood lusting eyes locked onto my own. Deeply inhaled and widening my stance watching her every movement. An old, wild side of myself, which I spent so long to suppress, flared. Every action the unnamed attacker made, I analyzed to the deepest possible outcome. I wasn't Jackie anymore; I was now in survival mode, a mode I had learned to have being with my deranged mother all those years. All emotion drained from my eyes as I glared into the lunatic's eyes. Anything she can dish out I will beat. Not for myself but for those I love.
"Oh~ What a lovely expression. Say, can I rip off your lips and sew them onto my dolls? I love it...I LOVE IT-!"
Biting down on my lower lip, I stepped back, holding my fists up, ready to put up a fight again. …not good, I was getting tired. Crap.
The girl stopped, staring into my eyes. "I see a young lady in pain. She always sacrifices herself. To me, as a villain, is stupid, but to her, it's worth it." Something started bubbling, like a black stew, in her shadow. "And then I thought, why not fix her soul with stone?"
I stepped back with wide eyes, warily watching the odd reaction. What was she going on about with this? "What are you talking about?!" I shouted as I kept my eyes on the deranged girl. I could take the girl out if it wasn't for her inhuman stamina and endurance. What was that girl?
"But then her soul would be heavy... But then I thought, why not mend her with silver and gold?"
Black hands shot out from her shadows and lunged at me, where I found myself turning around and began running.
"Mend her soul with silver and gold, silver and gold, silver and gold~ Mend Jackie's heart with silver and gold, My dead lady~"
Running from the black hands, I ran to the edge of the fissure, heading towards Joker, who stood on the other side. "Joker-!" I cried as the hands snatch hold of me.
~BANG~
The hands go limp as I spied a gun in both Black and White's hand, managing to turn around and see the bullet dead center in the girl's head. She chuckles before hysterically laughing,
"YOU CAN'T KILL ME! I WILL NOT DIE-!"
The hands pulsed before grabbing ahold of me, accidentally letting out a painful cry. I couldn't help it, it felt like they were about to rip my arms off! "The lady I'm about to kill had her boyfriends shoot at me. And then I thought… If she thinks I can die...why not kill her right now?"
I fell silent, emotions slipping out of my eyes as the crazy girl crept up behind me, a gun in her hands.
"Kill the Miss with bullets and steel, bullets and steel, bullets and steel~ Kill the Miss with bullets and steel, My bloody lady ~"
Solitary tears fell from my mismatched eyes, rolling down my cheeks. Black and White couldn't save me, they were over there and their gunshots only made the young killer more willing to end my life.
I felt the gun being shoved into the back of my head, the shadowy hands having me face the ones I cared most about. Even the little girl, who I had met for a few hours. I had grown fond of the little girl, even if she was unconscious for most of the time. I could see her right now, standing behind the Jokers.
She had a determined look on her face. But for what?
To my surprise, the dirty blonde haired girl had squeezed herself through the Jokers and ran to the large chasm that separated us. Her shoes hit the edge of the ground and she jumped.
Silvery light, blue shimmering butterflies, and azure rose petals swirled around the small girl as her skirt filled up with air. Graceful. Elegant. She landed, making no sound as her feet hit the ground, and dashed uncomfortably towards me. As if she never ran before. I spied her small hand clutching her chest, squeezing, as if in pain…
I felt myself blinking away when the little girl's gentle hand grabbed my own. Then...I felt a strange bubbly sensation hit my nerve system. Fluttery…and warm. And I soon realized that I was no longer in the grasp of the arms, but instead, had melted into a swarm of...
Butterflies and silvery mist.
"Wh-what? Where did these butterflies come from?!" I shouted as we flew past the attacker, who was screeching at the sight of the butterflies. She was flailing around so much that her blue hair fell off, revealing very dark ginger hair in pigtails. She had worn a wig. I had gasped, but then I was fully engulfed into being a part of the mass of butterflies.
The shimmering clouds of butterflies fluttered over the fissure and faded when reaching the other side, manifesting back into the girl and I. I looked into the girl's tired eyes before being given a genuine smile from her.
Then...
She collapsed into my arms, motionless.
"Girl?" No reaction. "H-hey! Oh crap-!" My nimble fingers shot to her neck, feeling for her pulse.
…B-bmph…
…B-bmph…
She's alive...she's just fine—
"Jackie!" Joker cried as his Jester counterpart wrapped his arms around Jackie, the Warden counterpart shoving the once again unconscious girl to the ground in a messy heap. "Are you alright?!"
"OF COURSE NOT!" I screamed back shoving them away and dropping down to her, immediately checking her over for injury. My heart almost shook when I heard the attacker speak again.
"The lady's boyfriends don't really care for the little miracle, hmm...~?" The ginger sneered as the black hands are sucked back into her shadow. It left this sloppy globs of black goop on the ground. Ew.
"...away." Joker muttered.
"Ho~ what was that dear? I didn't hear you—"
"I SAID GET THE F*** AWAY YOU WASH BOARD SLUT!" Joker shouted in a mad rage. White's whip cracked forward snatching her ankle and yanked her towards them as Black lunged out slapping her across the cheek with his whip. The ginger yelped and danced out of the way touching her cheek. She blindly looked over her blood as a bubbly rage filled her eyes. "Blood-! YOU MADE ME BLEED—! HOW DARE YOU—!" She screeched. Both Jokers step in front of Jackie, the intention of killing the insane little girl in front of them.
The girl stood there, hand on cheek, red eyes flaring in, intense anger. "The same...you have the exact same look in your eyes as him..."
"As who my dear?" White purrs with maddened wide eyes fit for the devil and a malicious toothy smirk. "Who the f*** cares? Let's just slaughter her a**," Black hissed, sending the ginger a glare. "Ah, that sounds like such a fun game. What should we do first? Pull out her eyes along with the corneas or drag a barbed wire up and out her p****?" "I say we draw out her intestines for my favorite method…" Both counterparts then said this together, "Draw and quartering?"
I trembled, hugging the small girl close. Joker was incredibly serious…
"Ha...haha...hahahaha!" The ginger threw her head back and lets out a deep malicious laughter. "AHAHAHAHAHA! YoU? DeFeAt Me? Impossible..." Pulling her head forward, her pupils dilate to the point that it's unimaginable. "ImpossibleImpossibleImpossib le—!"
Black cracked his whip at the ginger, using every bit of strength he had, and the girl screamed. None of them had expected her to shatter into pieces of wood and porcelain, the pieces lingering in the air, like they are swimming through syrup. One of the pieces manages to reach Black's hand, scratching him deeply on the back of his hand.
"F***—!" Black hissed whipping around and snatches me into his arms. "Wait—!" I called out before spying White with the unconscious girl. We then dashed towards the woods, running. We kept on running. None of us dared to stop to rest.
We were afraid that the girl would regenerate and attack us once more.
After walking around aimlessly, to my surprise, we arrived at a town, surrounded by a white rock wall. The entrance was deserted and we simply walked through, not having any more options. The town was strange; the houses looked like life-sized doll houses, with plastic grass acting as the lawn and fake flowers as well. A nice change of pace was that the path and streets were lined with streetlamps and cobblestone, not marble cake.
The nearest house we decided to go into was a pink one, which stood out from the blue and yellow ones. Entering it, we found plastic furniture and paper rugs, and an upstairs. We did not hesitate to head up to the second floor. There was only one room, which was like a regular bedroom, except it was incredibly large. The walls were painted a light green, the floors rugged in the hues of a soft pink. A bay window decorated in blue curtains with a sit on sill gave us a good view of the town.
Eerily empty and quiet.
I immediately ran to the wardrobe, finding clothes for me (and thankfully, none were frilly), changing into a red t-shirt, a gray jacket, and navy pants. Joker seemed irked that I had put clothes on, but said nothing. I readjusted my tool belt around my waist, busy fiddling around with the straps when my ears perked at a soft groaning.
The girl was finally waking up, her eyes fluttering open, "Nnnngh…" My stomach did belly flops when she rubbed her eyes cutely. How old was she? Twelve?!
White held a smile when she finally became fully awake, only to look around and blink in confusion. Slowly, her head turned to White, and, "AAH! Lemme go, lemme go! Please—"
"With pleasure~," White purred as he dropped her onto the floor without a second thought. "Ow!" She hit the floor hard, letting out a scream and looked up. She blinked when she saw White and Black giving her glares, with her eyes the size of dinner plates, she crawled back. "Aaah!" She was now crawling backwards at a fast pace and—
~BAM~
"A-Ah..." She doubled over, holding her head that now sported a large bump emitting steam. She had crawled back a little too far and had clumsily hit her head on the wall now behind her.
"Ah! Are you alright?!" I asked immediately coming to her side, crouching by her as she gently hold her head. "Ha...f***ing dumba**" Black sneered, folding his arms.
The girl looked up, revealing the tears that were already forming in the corner of her eyes. I felt my breath hitch in my throat as Lacie's eyes softened.
"I-I'm fine..."
That was a lie. A terrible lie.
"Liar! Where does it hurt?" I demanded, looking over her face and gently running a hand across a forming bump on her head. She flinched, but otherwise holds still.
"Oh my, my~ it seems that Jackie has quite the sensitive side to her doesn't she?" White purred with a smile pleased to be seeing a face he's never seen before. "Well that's f***ing bulls***. Hey, do you actually care for this dumbs***?"
"Black! that's rude! Take it back!" I hissed in a reprimanding voice. "F*** no." Black stubbornly spat. I swear he can be such a jerk... "Anyway are you sure you're alright? Can you walk-" White suddenly yanked me back a few feet and into a forced hug as Black stepped up, tapping the girl's chin with his whip to make her look at him.
"First things first b****. What's your name?"
I held back a growl before noticing the fear growing in the little girl's eyes. She wasn't afraid of the weapon Black was threatening with, not his words, or even his Role.
She was afraid of something else about Black.
Finally the frail girl answered back. Her sweet gentle voice said, "M-My name is Lacie... L-Lacie Heartfilia."
Ah, so that was her name? It suited her greatly.
Black grinned and crouched down to eye level titling her head with his whip as a malicious grin pulled his lips up. "Lacie, huh b****? Tell me, what's your goal trying to get so close to us? And 'saving' our toy just in the nick of time? Don't bulls*** me!" He hissed tapping the whip to her cheek.
"Black knock it off! Can't you tell that she's scared out of her mind?!" I spat, struggling with White's tight embrace. White leaned down and gently kissed my forehead. "Now dear don't you remember the faction after you? That little miss could be part of one pick ploy to kill you."
"What are you talking about?! She's a foreigner like I am!" I hotly argued back. I can't believe he's trying to twist this into making a frightened little girl like her the enemy!
"I-I-I was only trying t-to help!" Lacie cried, crawling back before curling up into a ball, holding her head. "Please don't hurt me!"
"Joker!" Both of them flinched as I called out to both of them. "What is it?" They asked in one voice. I shuddered as my heart foolishly skipped a beat. Am I afraid? Or is this something else? Shaking off the nameless emotion, I glared at the Warden half. "Don't you dare hurt her. She saved me. Is this how you're going to repay her?" I growled.
White sighed numbly rubbing my back before sauntering towards the trembling girl. "Jackie is right, my dear Warden. We won't repay her so rudely won't we?" White also kneeled down getting eye to eye level with her. "We wouldn't leave a loose end flapping about either, now would we?" He asked with a dangerous note to his voice. "But, putting that aside dear, where did you come from?" White gently caressed Lacie's cheek making her look White right in the eye. Black huffed, "Well b**** are you going to f***ing answer or not?"
Lacie trembled, unable to say anything, only tears rolled down her cheeks from her eyes. She was sweating and glanced at the hand White had placed on her cheek. Fear mixed with agony in her childish eyes, and...
Sadness.
My heart pounded sympathetically for the girl. They're frightening her and they know it. They think they can manipulate her with fear and get all the answers that they want. How twisted. I knelt down and gently brushed aside White's hand calling for Lacie's attention. "Lacie, where did you come from?" I asked as sweetly as I could, trying to soothe Lacie's fears.
Lacie diverted her eyes to the peach rugged floor. Lacie trusted me, I knew, but for some reason she still became hesitant.
"I-I honestly don't know how to answer that, Miss Jackie..." Lacie answered honestly. She looked up, giving me a good look of her puffy eyes. I am so going to get Joker for this… "Where d-did you come from, Miss Jackie?"
"New York and then Wonderland," I answered. I wonder if she'll recognize the place 'New York'? Not that it matters but...my heart reached out almost as if struggling to make another connection with a seemingly sane Foreigner. Though I was friends with other Role Holders, I wanted a friend from my world.
A friend… I suppose that was one of my selfish desires, in a way.
To my surprise, Lacie brightened. "New York? I've read about a place like that in a book!" Lacie gave a sweet smile that could give anyone a bad case of diabetes, which made my heart pound. Cute… "I was living in London, then..." Lacie's face paled before giving a crooked smile, as if she remembered a horrid memory. "And now Wonderland."
"Yeah, that would have been my reaction too." I said with a sigh and a smile. "But you're with us now-," "So shut the f*** up and shove off," Black hissed. I sent Black a glare as Lacie placed a hand on her head, nursing her bump.
"My dear, why do you say that in a way that makes it sound like coming to wonderland is a bad thing?" White pressed scrunching his eyebrows together in confusion. "Because I met you two." I unconsciously snapped.
I was almost surprised when Lacie giggled, like little bells, her fears disappearing. "Hahahaha!" I felt a smile tug at my lips.
"Yeah yeah this is all peachy and s*** but you two little kitties are forgetting the d*** situtation. Where in the f*** are we?!"
….
"You DON'T know?!" I asked incredulously as Lacie tilted her head. This was just not my day!
XX (? POV) XX
Dressed in a heavy gray cloak, my brown boots hit the marble cake pavement heavily, my brown hues glaring at anything and anywhere. This totally bites! Not only has one of my precious friends passed away today, but I still had to work!
Tears formed in the corner of my eyes, remembering the girl's peaceful face. Henrietta… My hand slipped into my pocket, pulling out the clock that was her 'heart'. I didn't want to Afterimages to take her, but I certainly didn't want to give it to The Clock Maker. My heart panged at the mention of Julius Monrey.
"That jerk…" I shoved the clock back into my pocket, my other hand pulling my hood down even more. I couldn't hand over this precious clock over to anyone. Maybe…maybe if I give it to him… He'll let me keep it for a while.
My eyes narrowed, catching a glance at my shadow, stretching and quivering. So she wants me to fight, eh? Forgottens began piling out from the forests shadows, carrying weapons of different sizes.
Rusty and bloody.
"Suffer with us…"
"Come with us…"
"Be with us…"
Shifting my left foot behind my right foot, turning on the ball of my feet, I faced the crowd. My paintbrush was out, turning into a gun. The great thing about my paintbrush was that it could turn into anything I want, even draw anything I desire to come to life. But the cost was that I would lose half of my energy and fall into a deep sleep for a whole entire day.
Shooting one of them down with ease, his head splitting open with brains and blood flying out, specks of the crimson blood splatters onto my face…I didn't care.
I used to be so happy. The reality I only knew of was with Henrietta and my other friends. Now…all I had was Henrietta, but she…passed away. My other friends…Dollmaker separated her from me.
Pulling the trigger again, I click it nonstop, shooting each and every one of them down, allowing the blood to soak the grounds.
A pity.
"I would've felt sorry for you, Faceless, if you hadn't decided to become Forgotten," I murmured as I turned and walked away to the direction of Toy Town. I needed to finish my research for him.
I need to.
I had to.
"When shall the madness end?"
Never.
A/N: I wrote an extremely long chapter for you all, because I don't know when I'll ever be able to write again. I'm sure you all heard that BlackFire22 had passed away February 5th, this week. The news shocked me, it hit me so hard that I couldn't think straight. She was everything to me, and she had an account here that meant everything to her.
Writing brought us very close. I mean…yeah, I wrote the stories for her, but she gave me the ideas. It kind of hurt that they were more popular than my own stories, but it made me happy that we were able to work together successfully. Because…we love writing. And that's why I've decided…
Attention to all BlackFire22 fans, Malfunctioned Heart and Arisu in Narutoland will not be discontinued. Instead, I shall finish them to the end. I'm positive that BlackFire22 would want me to. So, I need your support! But first, I am not done mourning her death. I won't be back for a while, but I needed to finish this chapter before I leave for her wake and funeral.
I love you guys very much. And I hope to find inspiration to write again. Let's keep BlackFire22 and her amazing stories in our hearts!
For now, let me at least give you an omake (an amusing bonus chapter)!
Enjoy.
~OMAKE~
Mom!Jackie
XX (Jackie POV) XX
"I'm sorry, Miss Penski, but in order to save your life, we had to give you surgery. It was a success on one part…but you are unable to have children if you were planning to have any… I'm so sorry."
I was only twenty when I got into a car crash and was hanging onto my fast depleting life. I was only lucky enough to be quickly rushed to a hospital and went into surgery to get the steering wheel out of my stomach.
I never actually thought about having children. I was more focused on working in my late-father's workshop, fixing things ranging from clocks-to vacuums-to cars. But now that I think about it. I loved children. I wanted to have children eventually if I ever get married.
But now I can't.
There was this hollowness in my heart, telling me that my dream for having children would never come true. I was depressed.
Until I got a call from the lawyer of the drunken man who had crashed into me from that accident, saying that I was able to adopt two children of my choice from his client's orphanage. I was mostly shocked that the man who had crashed into me, and destroyed one of my dreams to be a happy mother, was the owner of the two orphanages in town.
I accepted that offer and was sent a box full of information on the orphans. Some were too needy, some too bratty, most of them selfish. Of course, they didn't have parents, so I didn't hold it against them, but I was looking for two that stood out.
Ones that I wanted to protect. Someone who made my heart leap out of my chest.
That's when at the very bottom of the box sat two profiles that I was sure the owner of the orphanage tried to hide from me.
Lacie Heartfilia and Sakubo Yoru. I felt my heart jump out of my chest when I saw their pictures. One with long dirty blonde hair and childish light turquoise eyes, and the other one with shimmering aquamarine hair and garnet eyes, they were adorable.
Lacie was a ten year old girl who was born of a heart disease, and she lived with an overprotective man named Wilson. He was a doctor who was working to find a cure for his daughter, to which I learned that she was adopted by him and he never let her outside ever since she was a baby, and was this close to finding one when a robber broke into their house and attempted to rape Lacie. Wilson had called the police and rushed to her aide when the attacker stabbed the doctor in the stomach, killing him. He then began attacking Lacie, mostly at her legs so that she wouldn't escape. The police came and had no choice but to gun the man down in front of the innocent girl who was only four at the time. She now had a fear of men and was handicapped, being bound into a wheelchair.
Sakubo was a six year old girl who used to live with her relatives until they bounced her all over the countries, not finding anyone willing to take her in until they forced her onto her sister, Kira, who was taking drugs and selling herself as a prostitute. Kira would beat Sakubo every day, find anything to torture her with, and starved her close to death many times. The police came in with a warrant of child abuse and took the woman to jail, and ushered the little girl to an orphanage, seeing that she detested her 'family'. There wasn't much else onto her profile, other than saying that she was four when she arrived into the orphanage, and that she didn't let anyone get close to her.
Their lives before arriving at the orphanage was ten times as worse than the other children, which made me want to take them in. I grabbed my cellphone, and called the lawyer.
He seemed to have praised me on my choice for Lacie Heartfilia, but when I mentioned Sakubo Yoru, he screamed like a woman.
Literally.
~Ten-Year-Old!Lacie~
I first saw Lacie sitting in the hospital-not the orphanage, because she was sickly all the time-, staring out the window, tears falling down her face. She didn't speak to anyone at all, only taking interest in the sky. I took a seat by her bedside, gently taking her fragile hand. She jolted, her eyes looking into my mismatched orbs.
She was so frail.
"…w-…who…are…y-you?" Lacie asked, her eyes filled with sudden fear. I smiled, stroking her hair that felt like silk melting into my fingers.
"I'm Jackie Penski, Lacie," I said with a soft smile. It was rare to find little girls as innocent as her, and if I leave her in the orphanage, then her innocence might fade away. I need to preserve her. "I want you to come home with me. I'll be your new mommy."
Lacie stared at me before shaking her head. "N-No…I…I have a Daddy…."
"But no mommy?"
Lacie didn't answer.
I reached out, brushing away her tears, my heart throbbing. The poor child. "I know you don't want to forget your Daddy, but I don't want you to stay here forever." I took her small hands into my own, squeezing them lightly. They were so fragile, like glass. If I squeezed them any harder, I was afraid they would break!
"But who would want me? I can't walk, I'm not very smart…I'm always sick…" Lacie trailed off, her gaze onto her lap.
"I'll teach you how to walk. I'll tutor you to be smarter. I'll nurse you back to health, because…" I let go of one of her hands and used my free hand to grab a handkerchief from my pocket, wiping her cheeks, "I want to be your mommy."
I swear I do.
"R-Really?" A tint of pink burned her cheeks as her eyes sparkled. I nodded and I almost died from the cute smile she gave me.
A nurse came in with a wheelchair and the doctor gave me a suitcase that was about to burst with clothes, the clothes her late-foster father had bought her. After dressing her into a simple blouse, skirt, and Mary Jane shoes, I strapped her into the wheelchair and my eyes bulged out at how long her hair was. It reached the ankles of her legs. Maybe her father had a hair fetish?
…
Weird…
Still, I was surprised at how quick Lacie took to me like water. I knew she wanted someone to reach out to her, and I was the only person to do it.
I actually cared.
~Six-Year-Old!Sakubo~
Pushing the wheelchair up to the large brick house, I nodded when the owner opened the door for me. He sent me an apologetic glance and I sighed, pushing the wheelchair in. Lacie had long fell asleep long ago, her soft breathing like music in your ears.
The air was slightly hot and humid, small beds lining against both walls, with creaky stairs leading to the second floor to which I concluded had more beds. At the back stood a door, where I was told had the kitchen. The bathroom was upstairs.
A little boy, dressed in a large baggy shirt and shorts, walked past me, glaring at Lacie, who had woken up from the heat and sobbed slightly. I gave him a glare and he ran off towards the stairs.
"Lacie, have you ever met Sakubo?" I asked the still drowsy girl.
"N-No… I-I usually stay in the hospital…"
"I see…"
One of the people who worked there, dressed in gray uniforms, approached me. She was staggering, a deep cut in her arm, which she was nursing, "The bloody brat you're looking for is in the backyard. Hurry up and fetch the bugger, will you?" She then ran off, screaming for someone to fetch the first-aid kit.
I huffed, though wondered where she got the wound from. Maybe a kitchen accident—
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" A crowd of kids banged the kitchen door open, running out with tears and fear in their eyes. Their feet pounded against the wooden floor, trying to get away from whatever was chasing them.
A six year old girl with aquamarine hair reaching her hips and insane garnet eyes hopped out of the kitchen, waving a kitchen knife around. A creepy grin split her face in half as she ran after them.
"Hey, guuuuuys! Come back! I only wanted to play~!" She cooed, her raggedy dirty white sneakers hopping across the floor with each step. She was fast.
A little boy suddenly fell down, tripping on his own feet, and the others abandoned him, running up the stairs. The girl raised the knife above her head, giving off a villainous laughter before diving for him—
"Enough!" I growled, lifting her up by the back of her large baggy sweater. She blinked, the knife ripped from her hand, and she pouted. Struggling in my grasp, she whined, "What are you doing, lady?! I was about to kill him! He made me pee-pee in my bed! I got scolded, damn you!"
"Little girls shouldn't play with weapons," I reprimanded as the boy got up and dashed off. I sighed and set her down, her little feet touching the floor. Oh man…that was cute.
She glared at me, pointing a finger, "Stay outta Sakubo Yoru's way, milk jugs!"
Milk jugs…milk jugs? Oohhh, that's too rich~ "Ahahahahahaaha~! Good one!" I laughed, hugging my stomach, shaking my head when it was too much. That was too funny!
"I'm serious, dairy cow-!"
"Ahahahaha!"
She stomped her foot and dashed off into the kitchen, slamming the door close. I glanced at Lacie, who was flustered, patting her flat chest. "M-Milk jugs? Dairy cow?" Cue her glooming.
Aw… "Don't worry, Lacie, when you grow up, you'll develop."
"What's develop?"
"I'll teach you when you are older."
"Kay~." Cute!
I grabbed the handles of her wheelchair, pushing her forward. Now in the kitchen, I saw Sakubo sitting at the table, drinking from a teacup, and sitting with her were five plush toys: A rabbit with a vest and a red ribbon tied on its right ear, a black cat with blue button eyes with a white ribbon tied around its neck, a panda, a light blue polar bear with a plastic hatchet in its paw, and a red teddy bear.
Those dolls must be her 'family'.
Okay, they say she will accept me as her mother if I bring her out of the orphanage…this is going to be hard.
"Good day, Sir Emotion, how is your tea?" Sakubo asked, sipping at her imaginary tea. I heard she only drinks it if it was sweet.
"Why, the tea you pour me is fantastic as always, Miss Saku!" The rabbit, Emotion, replied, raising its cup. I paused.
The rabbit talked. The rabbit talked. The rabbit freakin' talked.
"A tea party such as this derserves cake, don't you agree, Sir Candy?" The cat asked, raising her cup towards the teddy bear. The teddy bear, Candy, raised his cup towards her,
"Indeed, indeed, Miss Neko! If only Panda and Choo didn't eat them, no how!" They then cheered and toasted their cups.
Panda and the polar bear, Choo, threw sugar cubes at them, "We did not! No way, no how!"
They all cheered and laughed until Sakubo noticed me. "Oh, look, it's the dairy cow."
"Pfft…"
"Stop laughing!"
Okay, time to get serious. Sucking in a gulp of air, I pointed at the ceiling, my eyes filled with fear, "OH MY GOD, WHAT IS THAT?!"
Sakubo, and the dolls, glanced up at the ceiling, speaking together, "Huh? What is?"
I had my back to the wall, walking sideways to get closer to the girl, "There! There it goes!"
"Honestly, where are you pointing at—AUUUGH!" By this time, I snatched her from the seat, running over to Lacie, and getting out the back door.
"Gotcha~"
"RAAAAPE!"
My car was parked behind the orphanage, meaning that I had planned this the whole time, and the dolls chased after us. They can walk?!
"Give us back, Sakubo!"
I stopped the wheelchair in front of the car and gently tossed Sakubo into the back, who was rolling around, and helped Lacie into the passenger seat, putting her seatbelt on for her.
"KIDNAPPER!"
"Shut it."
I folded the wheelchair up and put it in the trunk of the car, before noticing the plush toys standing in front of the doors of the car, where Sakubo sat in. I sighed and closed the trunk, walking over and opening the door, the dolls quickly jumping in.
Shutting it, I made my way to the driver's seat, reaching out for the handle to open the door when the car drove off. I gasped and ran after my car, seeing that Sakubo was in the driver's seat, the dolls at the pedals.
"YEAAAAAAAAH! THEY SEE ME ROLLIN', THEY BE HATIN'!"
"KYAAAH! MOMMY!"
"SAKUBO, STOP THE CAR!"
Sakubo shook her head. "Nope, stop hatin'!...ooh, lemme run past the red light!"
"STAHP!"
~~ (To be continued) ~~
A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. For now, I will be taking a break. Please review.